By Hastings Wyman Healthcare mogul Rick Scott was elected governor of Florida in the Republican year of 2010 after a bitter and narrow primary victory over long-time GOP officeholder Bill McCollum and another narrow, hard-fought General Election win over the state’s popular chief financial officer Alex Sink (D). With no experience in government and a [...]
by Susan Ladika Drivers in three states could see big changes in their car insurance — and their car insurance bills. Florida and Michigan both have no-fault auto insurance under the microscope during their current legislative sessions. It’s a particularly hot topic in Florida, widely seen as the auto insurance fraud capital of the country. [...]
Lynne McChristian My View We are all citizens of Citizens Property Insurance Corp. and its cousin, the Florida Hurricane Catastrophe Fund. We created them, subsidize them and are on the hook to bail them out. Today, more people are waking up to the fact that both are significantly overexposed to a catastrophic financial failure, with [...]
Floridians are paying an annual “fraud tax” of about $115 for a typical two-car family that is generated by unwarranted personal injury protection claims under the state’s no-fault auto insurance program. As part of the no-fault law enacted in the early 1970s, the PIP requirement was designed to pay up to $10,000 for timely emergency [...]
An influential state Senate committee looked past a short-term crisis Thursday to try to fix one of Florida’s systemic problems. The Senate Banking and Insurance Committee embraced a plan that would require most Internet vendors selling to Floridians to collect and remit sales taxes — finally eliminating a huge disadvantage faced by traditional Florida retailers. [...]
By Suzette Parmley, Inquirer Staff Writer States tend to mull over gambling bills for years. It took 15 years for slot-machine gambling to be green-lighted in Pennsylvania, with table games added 61/2 years later. Last year, Massachusetts approved up to three destination casino resorts after a decades-long debate. The Florida Legislature debated the expansion of [...]
By Suzette Parmley, Inquirer Staff Writer MIAMI – In this glamorous gateway city overlooking Biscayne Bay, a debate is being waged: whether to allow up to three lavish casino resorts in South Florida. The debate has split state lawmakers, residents and the business community. And its outcome, some gaming-industry analysts say, could influence where players [...]
Attention, online shoppers. The days of tax-free online shopping may be coming to an end. More than a dozen states have enacted legislation or rules to force online retailers to collect sales taxes on purchases, according to tax publisher CCH. Similar legislation is pending in 10 states. Reasons for the spread of online sales tax [...]
The Florida Chamber of Commerce and Associated Industries of Florida are praising the House Health and Human Services Committee approval of a bill to cap the amount medical offices could charge when dispensing medication prescribed by an on-site physician. By putting the costs that could be charged on par with what a pharmacy charges, sponsors [...]
By: Jim Turner While real estate and construction remain down, state leaders Tuesday touted how international trade has helped Florida’s economy recover. Chris Thompson, president and CEO of Visit Florida, speaking as part of a panel at the Florida Chamber of Commerce International Days conference at Florida State University, said international travelers account for nearly [...]
